David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware announced that an active-duty airman was arrested and charged today for the attempted enticement of a minor.
According to publicly filed documents, Armand Nicholas Lu, 36, a Technical Sergeant (E-06) assigned to the Dover Air Force Base, met online, and began communicating via text message with an individual whom Lu believed to be a 14-year-old girl prosecutors said Wednesday.
In reality, and unbeknownst to Lu, the individual was a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Officials said over the course of several weeks via text message, Lu expressed interest in meeting and having sex with the individual he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.
On one occasion, Lu acknowledged that he could go to prison if he were caught. Ultimately, Lu arranged to meet with the “girl” on April 2, 2024, while her “mother” was at work. In advance of the meeting, Lu told the “girl” he had purchased intimate items in anticipation of their meeting, including condoms, honey, and lubricant according to court records. On April 2, 2024, Lu arrived at the pre-determined meeting location at which time he was placed in custody. During a search of Lu’s bedroom, law enforcement found condoms, honey, and lubricant.
Lu has been charged via Complaint with Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor. If convicted, he faces a maximum period of life imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison.
The United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated this case, with the assistance of the FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force and the Delaware State Police.